Community involvement Shelter

UN-Habitat contributes to one of the most urgent challenges in the world: sustainable urbanization. UN-Habitat’s mission is to promote socially and environmentally sustainable towns and cities by improving the quality of life of citizens around the world. Arcadis supports UN-Habitat in facing these urban challenges by providing pro bono expertise through the Shelter program, a global partnership that makes a real difference.

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Arcadis and UN-Habitat set up the Shelter Program in 2010. Over sixty missions, trainings and other Shelter activities have been organized in Asia, Africa and Middle America. Over 500 Arcadis experts from a range of disciplines have been actively engaged in the program by sharing their knowledge, expertise and providing capacity-building support skills to help bring the UN-Habitat mission forward. This combination of expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds is aimed at improving living conditions in cities around the world, especially for the urban poor.

Shelter means much more than providing adequate housing. It’s about creating safer surroundings. It’s about protecting the most vulnerable from the elements. It’s about building a better, sustainable future for all our communities.

The challenge

As our towns and cities grow at unprecedented rates, urbanization is one of the most pressing challenges facing the global community in the 21st century. Making sustainable improvements to the urban environment is critical to delivering lasting results for all our communities. As one of the world’s leading engineering consulting and professional services organizations, we are well positioned to support UN-Habitat's efforts to address this urgent challenge.

The talent

Arcadis’ talents span the fields of infrastructure, water, environment, buildings and urban planning at the highest levels. And the partnership with UN-Habitat integrates fully with our strategic ambition to play a meaningful role in our communities and to use our services and expertise in ways that positively impact the world. By combining the global reach of Arcadis and the humanitarian mission of UN-Habitat, we can make a real difference in the world.

The program

Arcadis and UN-Habitat, the United Nations Programme for Human Settlements set up the Shelter Program in 2010. Arcadis provides pro bono expertise for UN-Habitat. Over fifty missions, trainings and other Shelter activities have been organized in Asia, Africa and Middle America. Over 120 Arcadis Experts from a range of disciplines have been actively engaged in the program by sharing their knowledge, expertise and providing capacity-building support skills to help bring the UN-Habitat mission forward. This combination of expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds is aimed at improving living conditions in cities around the world, especially for the urban poor.

Moreover Arcadis is a main sponsor of the World Urban Campaign, an initiative of UN-Habitat designed to increase public awareness and to address the social, economic and environmental challenges of urbanization.

About UN-HabitatUN-Habitat is the lead United Nations agency for housing and urban development. Its mandate is to promote socially, economically and environmentally sustainable urban development and adequate housing for all. It is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya.

Lovinklaan Foundation

Lovinklaan’s mission is to promote the interests of Arcadis employees, to provide for the continuity of Arcadis and to stimulate employee ownership. The Shelter Program is financially supported by the Lovinklaan Foundation, Arcadis’ largest shareholder, which represents our staff.